Chromium supported catalysts are used for the polymerization of olefin polymers. Catalyst manufacturers prepare such catalysts by placing the chromium on a support such as silica or silica-titania. The support helps to stabilize the activity of the chromium and allows the catalyst to be shipped in an inactive form to the purchaser. Once the catalyst arrives at a polymer manufacturing site, it is activated for use in the polymerization process. Activation of these catalysts usually employ large and expensive equipment which are used to thermally treat the inactive compositions at high temperatures for extended time periods.
The production capacities of polymer manufacturers are limited by several factors, one of which is the time required for the activation of catalyst. Any improvement in the time required for catalyst activation and/or the amount of catalyst that can be activated at any one time may improve the efficiency of the overall polymer manufacturing process. Thus, there is an ongoing need to develop improved catalyst activation methods.